Allez Canadiens!

Cuteporter Sharon D. sent this photo into the C.O. SportsDesk~ “Abbie McFlooferson wants New Yorkers to know, IT’S ONLY GAME 1!!” (Not a hockey fan, but I see where the Rangers beat the Canadiens in the playoffs today.)

Smartypants: Original French immigrants to what is now Quebec were called Les Habitants. Strangely enough, they got the Hockey team got the nickname by way of “Tex” Rickard – owner of Madison Square Garden in the early part of this century, along with the inspiration for the name Habs’ current opponents, the New York Rangers (Tex’s Rangers). He supposed the H inside the C in the logo meant Habitants (it actually means Club de Hockey Athletique, the team’s original name).

@saintstryfe:
“habitants” was used to refer to farmers.
today, it’s more used to refer to someone as backwards (as farmers are “less sophisticated” than city dwellers).
people living in cities (yes, new france had cities, they were not all farmers) would not have been called “habitant”.
what is now québec today was the “canada” colony of new-france, which had other colonies: acadie, louisiane, etc.
canada was not the whole of new-france, just a part of it.

@smartypants:
“habs” an english-based nickname, probably goes back to the time when montréal had two hockey
teams: the english-speaking maroons (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Maroons) and the french-speaking
club de hockey canadien.

the only french nickname for the montréal-based hockey team that i am aware of is “la sainte flanelle”.
i think they should update it, as hockey players don’t wear flannel anymore — or do they?